It’s a shame a guy like Tom Renney has to pay for the incompetence of others. But that’s just how things go sometimes. If at first you don’t succeed, simply blame somebody else. If that doesn’t work, fire them. That’s how GMs the world over have been doing business for eons. No reason that Glen Sather’s mantra should be any different. In almost eight years as a general manager of the Rangers, Slats has shown none of the aptitude that made him one of the most successful coaches in NHL history. Far from it, in fact. Pre-lockout moves for the likes of Erik Lindros, Bobby Holik and Pavel Bure crippled the team’s development. The new collective bargaining agreement and salary cap forced him to alter that course, at least temporarily, before he returned to he idiocy of his old ways (2007 signings of Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Markus Naslund).

This, more than anything else, is what proved to be the team’s undoing this season. Yes, Renney should have shuffled his lines far less and played Petr Prucha far more than he did. That he failed to do either was unfortunate–but it was not the reason for the team’s malaise.

What has happened is this: The inmates are now running the asylum. Gomez and Drury were never leaders of the various championship teams they played for before joining the Rangers. Instead, they were role players. Valuable role players for sure, and maybe not quite expendable parts either, but role players nonetheless. Putting these guys in a position to captain (Drury) and assistant captain (Gomez) this team was just not going to work. The last two seasons Jaromir Jagr and to a lesser extent Sean Avery performed the leadership duties pretty effectively. With both of them gone this season, the Rangers ship quickly lost its rudder–with predictable results.

The fact that the team has managed to keep it together as well as it did (and remains in a playoff spot) is a testament to Renney’s abilities as a coach. Unfortunately, he too struggled with the lack of scoring power, which might explain the constant juggling and re-juggling of lines. Ultimately, this team, built by Sather, is just not very good. Besides the aforementioned leadership void, the team is weak at every single position except goaltender. The defensemen are too slow, the wingers too small, the centers too passive. Until that changes, don’t expect this team to do much better than it has. Sure, there may be a short-term bounce due to the change in leadership. There often is. But it will be short-lived. The team probably needs to be gutted and the responsible parties (Slats) need to be held accountable. Unless and until that happens, we don’t see the Rangers going anywhere.

Posted under Uncategorized

The New York Rangers are in freefall. This much is clear. After yesterday’s embarrassing 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the team has won just once in its last eight games and is in danger of all but disappearing from the Atlantic Division race. Time to point the finger. Actually, first it’s time to play a little game called “I told you so.” Back on Feb. 2, my last appearance in this space, I cautioned that the season appeared to have suffered an unfortunate turn, from which the team might not recover:

“We can go as far as to pinpoint the precise moment when perhaps (though hopefully not) the fortunes shifted dramatically in the Rangers season: The start of the third period in Pittsburgh last Wednesday (Jan. 28).”

As it turns out, that loss in Pittsburgh turned out to be the start of its present slump (the “last eight games” referred to above). I point this out partly mainly largely because I want to demonstrate how brilliant I am and that you absolutely should stick with me here, even if I disappear for weeks at a time (not by choice but due to my various other obligations, including my wretched day job). More importantly, however, this demonstrates just how desperate the Rangers are for a change in momentum if they are to salvage the season. Can the current coaching staff deliver the goods? Tonight should give us an idea, but the signs are not encouraging. Many of the players, chief among them Scott Gomez, appear to have quit on Renney. With Sean Avery not yet available, management simply does not have many other options to provide a spark. If the Rangers lose at St. Louis tonight, the Renney era at Madison Square Garden could be over.

Lost in this equation is the fact that Renney is not the biggest culprit for the team’s current malaise. That honor goes to Glen Sather, who saddled the team with overpriced free agents (Gomez, Chris Drury, Wade Redden). Ironically, Sather will be the guy dropping the ax on Renney’s stint as Rangers head coach. I’m not saying Renney doesn’t deserve some blame (why oh why does he refuse to play Petr Prucha for example?) but the larger problems with this team are a reflection of Sather’s moves as general manager. If anybody needs to go, it’s him. But there’s no justice in this world. Everybody knows that.

Posted under Uncategorized

I just want to point out that I correctly predicted that once Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden were signed, Tyutin was likely the guy on the way out. Go me.

As pleased for me as you must be, you’re likely far more pleased about the fact that the Rangers just acquired forwards Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche from the Columbus Blue Jackets, in exchange for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.

I wasn’t happy with Glen Sather’s work yesterday, but I’m ecstatic right now. I absolutely love this trade. The Rangers gave up a decent, but underachieving defenseman in Tyutin, as well as a talented but inept blueliner that doesn’t belong in the NHL in Backman, and in return acquired a young, talented, potential 30-35 goal scorer and a serviceable young forward. That’s quite a deal.

Nikolai Zherdev, the fourth overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, is one of the most talented offensive players in the National Hockey League. He’s a wizard with the puck and he has a terrific shot. He’s the type of guy that’s capable of creating an end-to-end rush that…well, ends with the puck in the other team’s net before anyone can figure out what just happened. He’s young, he’s fast and he’s exciting.

That said, he does come with his fair share of flaws.

His attitude has been questioned multiple times, as has his dedication to the game. He was a training camp holdout prior to the 2006-07 season and his performance defensively has been criticized often, for good reason. He’s a cherry picker.

Right now, though, I don’t care about any of that. The New York Rangers needed an offensive player and now they got one. They got a 23-year-old whose game can still develop, and one has to hope that the smart and supportive staff that Sather and Tom Renney have compiled can have a positive impact on Zherdev. This kid has all the potential in the world and with the proper guidance, he should be able to harness it.

If there is one point of concern, it is how Renney will treat Zherdev on the ice. The biggest reason Zherdev was probably traded is because he isn’t a “Ken Hitchcock” player. Ken Hitchcock, he Blue Jackets’ head coach, has always admired gritty, two-way forwards, something that Zherdev is not.

Renney too has a preference. His is defense. We’ve seen it these last two years and we’re bound to see even more of it. Renney is all about defense, so it will be interesting to see how much freedom he allows Zherdev. Renney is a smart coach, though. I imagine he’ll find the correct balance.

Because of his defensive mindset, Renney might miss Tyutin, but I think he’ll get over it. Tyutin definitely has some likable qualities. For one, he’s physical and he’s hard-hitting. He’s also very intelligent and calm when it comes to getting the puck out of his own zone. Still, it just didn’t seem like Toots’ game was going anywhere. The Rangers had high hopes for the former second round pick, but he didn’t seem like he was ever going to achieve them. His offensive game wasn’t developing, and he wasn’t good enough defensively to be a significant shutdown defender. There’s no doubt that Tyutin had a nice chemistry with Dan Girardi, but of the two, I expect Girardi to develop into the better player, and I’m sure he can find some chemistry with Rozsival or Redden.

Additionally, I was never a fan of the contract Slats gave Tyutin. I guess the deals that guys are getting yesterday and today may prove me wrong, but I don’t think Tyutin is worth $2.84 million a season. It wasn’t a drastic overpayment, but it was overpayment. In my opinion, at least.

As for Backman…where do I even begin. I really, really dislike the way he plays. Sure, Backman has some talent offensively, but that talent rarely shines through due to his absolutely atrocious decision-making. For that short period of time that Backman wore Ranger Blue, every time he touched the puck in his own zone, I had to hold my breath. He coughed up the puck in front of his own goal more times than I can count, and when that did occur, one of two things was sure to happen next. Either the opposition scored, or Backman took a horrible penalty.

How the Blues ever gave this guy a salary of $2.3 million per year is beyond me.

I don’t even want to think about Backman anymore. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

All right, I’m good.

Along with Zherdev, the Rangers acquired Fritsche, a center who is currently a restricted free agent. Fritsche, almost 23, is a speedy two-way player who can chip in 10-15 goals, but he has battled shoulder injuries.

Honestly, I’m not sure where Fritsche fits in with the Rangers, as they seem more than set at center. Similarly, with the signings of Pat Rissmiller and Aaron Voros yesterday and the number of young guys in Hartford like Dane Byers and Greg Moore that seem ready to step up to the NHL, there aren’t many openings on the third and fourth lines.

The team’s plans for Fristche remain to be seen, but quite frankly, that’s rather insignificant. Zherdev is the story here.

Still, this positive transaction aside, I’m guessing the Rangers aren’t done yet. I have to imagine that another scoring forward will be brought in, though I have no earthly idea who it might be. So far, they’ve got Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Zherdev, Fritsche, Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Blair Betts, Freddy Sjostrom, Rissmiller, Voros, Colton Orr, Ryan Hollweg, Lauri Korpikoski, Greg Moore and Dane Byers. First of all, obviously not all of those guys will make the team, but those are the possibilities.

Second of all, though, they need some more experience there. There’s a lot of young guys in that group and I’d be shocked if at least one, if not two more veterans were brought in.

Jaromir Jagr and Mats Sundin are still possibilities, as are Pavol Demitra and Markus Naslund. Other names include Kristian Huselius, Ladislav Nagy and Miroslav Satan. I hope it’s Jagr or Sundin, as none of the other free agents are very appealing, but we’ll see. Maybe they make another deal.

On the blueline, the defense is taking shape with Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, but that leaves two spots. The team signed minor league defenseman Brian Fahey today, and for what it’s worth, “rumor king” Eklund claims that Fahey, who spent the last few seasons with the Chicago Wolves, one of the AHL’s best teams. is going to play in the NHL next year because he is highly underrated.

Whether it’s Fahey or Tomas Pock or Bobby Sanguinetti or Corey Potter or another defenseman from Hartford, I think one of them is going to grab one of those two spots. I don’t think Paul Mara or Marek Malik will be re-signed, which means there’s still one spot. I think it’ll be filled through another signing.

My guess, the Rangers will sign former Oilers captain Jason Smith, who spent last year with the Philadelphia Flyers. There’s nothing to this, it’s just a hunch.

But remember, I was right about Toots.

Posted under 2008 Off-Season

Ever since the “Great Purge” of 2004, when Glen Sather dealt Brian Leetch to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers have lacked an offensive presence on the blueline.

Now, Sather may have finally solved that problem. Or he might have created an even bigger one.

Yesterday, the Rangers signed former Ottawa Senators defenseman Wade Redden to a six year contract that will pay the 31-year-old an average of $6.5 million per season. That’s a lot of money to pay a guy who, by all accounts, has been on the decline for two seasons. Especially when you consider that, just hours earlier, the team re-signed their own defenseman, Michal Rozsival, to a four-year, $20 million dollar contract.

Twice an All-Star (in 2002 and 2004), Redden’s stock in Ottawa dropped dramatically over the last two seasons. Some point to the death of Redden’s mother, Pat, as the beginning of his decline. Pat passed away after struggling with brain cancer in April of 2006. Others point to the seemingly wrong decision made by the Senators’ brass in choosing to re-sign Redden while allowing Zdeno Chara to walk away and sign in Boston before the 2006-07 season as the event that led to Redden’s downfall.

Over the last two seasons, the Senators, in very public fashion, tried to deal Wade Redden a number of times, but Redden refused to wave his no-trade clause, claiming that his desire was to win a Stanley Cup in Ottawa. Those instances probably didn’t do much for his on-ice performance, either.

Now, some will say that all Redden needs is a change of scenery, and that may very well be true. In fact, I actually feel the same way. It’s also been mentioned that Redden has a good relationship with assistant coach Perry Pearn, once an assistant with the Senators. Who knows? Maybe he can find his game. I sure hope he does. I’ve seen Redden play a lot of times, and he used to be a pretty good defenseman. He was solid in his own end and adept at moving the puck up the ice. He’s certainly a better option on the power play than Rozsival, too.

But, and this is a pretty big but, what if the change of scenery doesn’t do it? If Redden can’t return to form, what then? If this guy continues to play the way he has the last two seasons, then this will turn out to be a humongous blunder. Most of the times I saw this guy play the last year or two, he was skating like a zombie, avoiding physical play and just showing a total lack of emotion and desire.

This guy is going to be earning $6.5 million a year until he’s 37. He’s under contract through the 2013-14 season. That’s a long time to pay a guy when you’re not sure he’ll ever be the player he once was.

But if you’re going to go out on a limb and take that risk, why would you also overpay Rozsival? It doesn’t make sense. Rozsival is a decent player, and at the age of 28, he’s just entering his prime, but he’s a second pairing defenseman. He’s not worth $5 million a year. No way. He’s not a good option to run the power play, he’s not particularly great defensively and he’s prone to making horrendous gaffes with the puck. We’ve all seen Rozy cough up the biscuit at the most inopportune time on more than one occassion. Rozsival’s blunders will be giving Henrik Lundqvist nightmares for four more years.

Do you really need both of these guys, especially when you’re already paying Fedor Tyutin almost $3 million a season, too? Not in my eyes.

Plus, you’ve already got Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Lundqvist earning about $7 million a year. Each. So, for the next four years, when Rozsival’s contract expires, this team will be paying about $33 million dollars to five players. In case you haven’t heard, this year’s salary cap is set at $56.7 million.

Meanwhile, with Sean Avery signing in Dallas (more on this later), and the questions surrounding Mats Sundin and Jaromir Jagr, what the Rangers will do with their forwards remains unclear. So far, they’ve signed Patrick Rissmiller and Aaron Voros, a couple of third or fourth liners from the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild, respectively. Neither figures to light the lamp very much, though they may prove to be affordable replacements for Avery.

This all leads me to believe that the Rangers are planning to make a trade. This is merely speculation on my part, but I just don’t see them standing pat, whether they sign Sundin or bring back Jagr or whatever they decide to do with that whole thing.

I can see the Blueshirts packaging a guy like Tyutin and his salary, along with a Nigel Dawes or a Petr Prucha and perhaps a prospect or draft pick for an upgrade on forward. I thought they might pursue Michael Ryder, but he signed last night with the Boston Bruins.

All in all, a lot of questions remain for this team. But look at it this way, at least one thing is clear.

The Rangers re-signed Steve Valiquette to be their backup goaltender next year.

It’s a relief, I know.

Posted under 2008 Off-Season

At this time of the year, there are some that want the Rangers to just go for it. Damn the farm system and acquire what is needed to make a deep run at the playoffs. And that was the way of things pre-lockout, as the Rangers just traded all their prospects for veterans and generally those trades didn’t help the team to get to the playoffs, let along make a run. After the lockout, though, general manager Glen Sather played it smart and made choice trades at the deadline, which didn’t hurt the farm system, while helped the main club in its back depth. This trading deadline was an example of that.

«FULL STORY»

Posted under Blog

Ok, after John Dellapina’s and Jay Greenberg’s revelations of why Marek Malik was sent home yesterday, it’s clear that the much maligned defenseman must move on.

First, the obvious: Tom Renney deserves better. He has been one of Malik’s biggest defensers and to snub him in front of the whole team is just inexcusable. Renney is trying to win games and frankly, scratching Malik over the past month was justified.

Secondly, Malik’s attitude has become a me-first type of player. Besides the well documented blowups, after a Ranger win a few weeks ago, the defenseman came out just a few minutes after the game to dispute a +/- call on him. Malik felt he was on the ice for one of the Ranger goals and should be rewarded. That type of pettiness is not championship material.

The Rangers are playing very hard to turn this season around and Malik is making it very clear he doesn’t want to be part of it. It’s time to cut bait. If Glen Sather can’t trade him over the break, then waiving him, with a trip to Hartford may be a good attitude adjustment.

Posted under Blog

No the Rangers didn’t get anyone big, but it’s still a trade. Here’s the release:

New York, October 11, 2007 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired right wing Pierre Parenteau from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional seventh round draft pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Parenteau, 24, skated in 68 matches with the Portland Pirates and Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, registering 30 goals and 49 assists for 79 points, along with 47 penalty minutes. His 79 points tied for ninth overall in the AHL last season. He also appeared in five games for the Chicago Blackhawks, tallying one assist, along with two penalty minutes.

A native of Hull, Quebec, Parenteau has appeared in 266 career matches with Cincinnati, Portland and Norfolk (AHL), registering 83 goals and 116 assists for 199 points, along with 167 penalty minutes. He also skated in 41 post-season matches with Cincinnati, Portland and Norfolk (AHL), registering 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points, along with 40 penalty minutes.

The 5-11, 195-pound winger was originally Anaheim’s ninth round choice, 264th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and the Beacon Theatre; MSG Media, which is comprised of MSG and FSN New York; fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

Posted under Blog

Posted under Blog

So that means only Sean Avery left:

Here’s the release:

New York, July 31, 2007 — New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Marcel Hossa.

 

Hossa, 25, appeared in 64 games with the Rangers this past season, recording 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points, along with 26 penalty minutes. He tallied eight goals and five assists for 13 points in his last 15 regular season games. While establishing career-highs in assists (eight) and points (18), Hossa led the Rangers and tied for seventh in the NHL with three shootout game-deciding goals. In the postseason, Hossa recorded four points (two goals and two assists), along with a plus-five rating and four penalty minutes in 10 games.

 

The 6-3, 220-pound forward has skated in 187 career NHL contests with the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens, registering 30 goals and 23 assists for 53 points, along with 78 penalty minutes. In 2005-06, Hossa appeared in 64 games with the Rangers, recording 10 goals and six assists for 16 points, along with 28 penalty minutes.  As a second-year forward for Montreal in 2002-03, he collected 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in 34 games and played in the 2003 YoungStars Game at All-Star Weekend in Florida, recording two assists.  Hossa has also skated in 144 career games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Quebec Citadelles, registering 54 goals and 50 assists for 104 points, along with a plus-26 rating and 87 penalty minutes.

 

Internationally, Hossa has represented his native Slovakia in several tournaments, including the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia. In seven games at the 2006 World Championships, he picked up one goal and three assists, along with a plus-three rating. Aside from his experience in the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2006 World Championships, Hossa also participated in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 World Junior Championships and the 2005 World Championships in Austria.

 

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Hossa appeared in 188 games with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), registering 65 goals and 99 assists for 164 points, along with 182 penalty minutes.  He led the Winter Hawks in scoring in 2000-01, collecting 34 goals and 56 assists for 90 points and was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team at the conclusion of the season. 

 

The native of Ilava, Slovakia was originally drafted by Montreal in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.  On September 30, 2005, Hossa was acquired by the Rangers from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left wing Garth Murray.

 

Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and the Beacon Theatre; MSG Media, which is comprised of MSG and FSN New York; fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

 

 

Posted under Blog

The Rangers announced they signed Brendan Shanahan for another season. According to Larry Brooks it’s worth 2.5 million plus bonuses. Here’s the release:

Rangers Agree to Terms with Brendan Shanahan

New York, July 10, 2007 — New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Brendan Shanahan.

Shanahan, 38, skated in 67 games with the Rangers this past season, registering 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points, along with 47 penalty minutes. The captain of the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star Team finished the season tied for second on the Blueshirts with 29 goals, while his 62 points ranked fourth on the club. He also tied for first on the team with three shorthanded goals and 14 power play goals, and placed second on the Rangers with 295 shots on goal. Shanahan notched his 18th career hat trick on December 3 vs. the Islanders, and with his third goal of the game, became the second player in NHL history to score 20 or more goals in 18 consecutive seasons (Shanahan-18, Howe-22). In his Rangers debut on October 5 vs. Washington, Shanahan notched two goals and became just the 15th NHL player to reach the 600-goal plateau. In the 2007 playoffs, he collected five goals and two assists, along with 12 penalty minutes. His five goals tied for second on the team.

A veteran of 19 NHL seasons, the 6-3, 220-pounder leads all active NHL players in goals scored and is 12th on the league’s all-time goal scoring list with 627. Shanahan is an eight-time NHL All-Star and captured three Stanley Cup Championships while with the Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He has appeared in 1,417 career NHL games with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and Rangers, collecting 627 goals and 667 assists for 1,294 points, along with 2,425 penalty minutes. In addition, the two-time 50-goal scorer has scored at least 40 goals in six of his 19 seasons in the NHL and he is one of only 11 players in NHL history to have 12 seasons of at least 30 goals. In 2005-06, he registered 40 goals and 41 assists for 81 points, along with 105 penalty minutes and a plus-29 rating while skating in 82 games with the Detroit Red Wings. His 40 goals led the club and tied for 10th in the league, while his 81 points (24th in NHL) ranked third on the Wings.

In 167 career postseason contests, Shanahan has registered 58 goals and 68 assists for 126 points, along with 269 penalty minutes. In the 1997 playoffs, en route to capturing his first Stanley Cup, he led the Red Wings in goals (nine) and ranked second on the team in scoring with 17 points (nine goals and eight assists). The following season, in 1998, he collected five goals and four assists and helped Detroit win the Cup for the second consecutive season. During the 2002 Cup run, Shanahan tallied eight goals and 11 assists, along with 20 penalty minutes in 23 postseason games. Among all players in the playoffs that season, he tied for third in scoring with 19 points and led the league in power play assists (eight).

Internationally, Shanahan has represented Canada at several tournaments, including the World Junior Championships in 1986, The World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and the Winter Olympics in 1998 and 2002. In 2002, he captured the gold medal in Salt Lake City, Utah and won the Stanley Cup, and at the time, became only the third player in NHL history to win both in the same year.

The Mimico, Ontario native was originally the New Jersey Devils’ first round choice, second overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and the Beacon Theatre; MSG Media, which is comprised of MSG and FSN New York; fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

Now the Rangers have to get the RFAs under contract, which isn’t too much of a problem and next season will be set.

Posted under Blog